1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a robotic finger which can be used on a robotic hand.
2. Description of Related Art
Military and law enforcement groups are increasingly relying on UGVs to perform life-threatening tasks ranging from under car inspection to EOD. As small UGVs, such as Omni-Directional Inspection Systems (ODIS), Talon and Packbot have gained acceptance, the variety of tasks they have been required to perform has increased.
These systems are deployed in uncontrolled environments. They must have a robust design to survive the normal working environment they will encounter, both during deployment on the mobile robot and when the manipulator and tools are being stored or transported. The mechanical connection must be resilient to minor variations in tolerances of mating components, such as might occur when a tool is dropped or bumps against another tool in the toolbox, or such as might be caused by the presence of debris, such as dirt and sand, from the working environment.
In the past, movement of fingers is accomplished through very complex mechanical linkages and has often required specialized configurations to accomplish their particular mission, requiring change of the tool or attaching a different end effector or tool in the middle of a mission.